In my experience, whether this is true is highly variable from one person to another. Some people really are able to go through their material and retain a lot of details for a few days, enough to get you through an exam. I am one of those people, or at least I was during my university days; it's not something I have had much reason to test in the last couple of decades.

I think it has a lot to do with one's learning style. Mine seems to be predominantly verbal - operating with both spoken and written words, but obviously the latter is generally more relevant for exams. Even with a science curriculum at university this was useful; for my English Literature exams at high school it was very helpful - I remember that for our final exams, after I'd done my main revision, I went through our texts and noted down quite a decent stock of quotes which could be used to illuminate the themes we'd explored, and I was able to use several of these in the exam.

I'm going to treat the poll as if it was serious because that's how I roll. I want our Space Princess of Anxiety to come back to claim her throne and I think having a completely amoral god-AI hanging around like Discord in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would be great!

As for today's strip, I think that we're manoeuvring into the section of Claire's character arc where she addresses a thorny problem: Who is she? She's been defined by labels and short-term goals like graduating for some time. I wonder if she's ever really ever bothered to wonder what she wants to do with her life and where she wants to go after she has the wide world of adult life ahead of her!

I have never been a fan of last-minute study for an exam. You say it never hurts, but most likely you will not retain anything new. It's more likely you will just make yourself more anxious.

Depends on subject. For my Japanese study I often am able to remember a few more Vocab words from some last minute cramming. I don’t cram from a stress standpoint though, I know it won’t make a huge difference, but it can help some.

I wonder if she's ever really ever bothered to wonder what she wants to do with her life

I still don’t know, and there’s not so much more adult life in front of me...

Since I couldn’t decide what to study (maybe computer science, linguistics or cybernetics) I took an apprenticeship in a field I liked.Why learn a profession, I asked, I’ll marry anyway. Married twice, didn’t work out. Self-unemployed for a while now. Probably going to be a freelance pagan priest.

I wonder if she's ever really ever bothered to wonder what she wants to do with her life and where she wants to go after she has the wide world of adult life ahead of her!

I'm certain that she, of all QC characters, has wondered that. Multiple times, probably. And will do again and again. This isn't something you just decide once then put in a drawer and never think about again.

Logged

"There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking." - Sir Joshua Reynolds (paraphrased)

As a guy crowding forty who's seen pot go from "Illegal and EVIL" to "Illegal and ill advised" to "Not terrible, but still Illegal" to "Why is this still Illegal when I can get drunk" to "Legal, but only kinda sorta legal" to "fine, have your grass already, just smoke it in your house", today's comic feels weird to me.

My old man brain sometimes has trouble parsing the way the world has changed during my life.

I think that I now understand that Claire and Clinton's habit of suddenly taking hard turns into random asides is a family characteristic; their mother does it too!

As for 'rebellion' as a title...? Let's put it this way: Smoking pot has become so mainstream that I would argue that not partaking is actually an act of rebellion against society's view of normal and acceptable behaviour, much in the same way as not being sexually active or never getting drunk.

As for 'rebellion' as a title...? Let's put it this way: Smoking pot has become so mainstream that I would argue that not partaking is actually an act of rebellion against society's view of normal and acceptable behaviour, much in the same way as not being sexually active or never getting drunk.

Woo! I'm a rebel!

It's actually a very dangerous notion to suggest it's not normal for someone to not want to get drunk, have sex, or use pot.

Jeph really isn't into hard time-keeping in QC. The most that you can say is that it is at some point in the immediate future, given that Claire is currently been in panic-cram mode for a while and is also stressing about post-graduation employment.

I think that I now understand that Claire and Clinton's habit of suddenly taking hard turns into random asides is a family characteristic; their mother does it too!

As for 'rebellion' as a title...? Let's put it this way: Smoking pot has become so mainstream that I would argue that not partaking is actually an act of rebellion against society's view of normal and acceptable behaviour, much in the same way as not being sexually active or never getting drunk.

Bolding mine.

And ehm...yeah not really. The vast majority of people still don't partake in smoking weed and I'd argue it's still not generally expected (or 'normal') behavior. Yes people are increasingly tolerant about people smoking/consuming, which is not quite the same as it being considered normal/expected.

By the way, the above is also true for consuming weed in any form in the Netherlands. While many people in the US seem to think that in the Netherlands the majority of people at some point consume marijuana or consider it completely normal behavior is pretty far from the truth, actually, despite the fact that people are generally not super-judgy about it.

There's a first time for everything, including socially acceptable activities like drinking, sexual activity or whatever applies in your circle. At any point in your life doing something you've never done before, even if it doesn't seem like big deal to someone else who does it all the time, can be a huge deal to you.

As for 'rebellion' as a title...? Let's put it this way: Smoking pot has become so mainstream that I would argue that not partaking is actually an act of rebellion against society's view of normal and acceptable behaviour, much in the same way as not being sexually active or never getting drunk.

Woo! I'm a rebel!

It's actually a very dangerous notion to suggest it's not normal for someone to not want to get drunk, have sex, or use pot.

The word 'normal' is the main issue, I would argue. There's no normality in partaking or not for any of those things. Statistically likely, sure. But normal is nothing and the second you have 'normal' that starts making people 'not normal.'

Jeph really isn't into hard time-keeping in QC. The most that you can say is that it is at some point in the immediate future, given that Claire is currently been in panic-cram mode for a while and is also stressing about post-graduation employment.

Psst. You cut off a relevant bit of the quote. I mean, everything you said in response is true, but I believe theHermit was really just wondering out loud whether this activity will affect Claire's exams, not indulging in an exercise of trying to measure comic time.

The word 'normal' is the main issue, I would argue. There's no normality in partaking or not for any of those things. Statistically likely, sure. But normal is nothing and the second you have 'normal' that starts making people 'not normal.'

I'm a bit hypersensitive to this sort of thing, as I've had actual friends treat me as abnormal for not wanting to drink. It was surprisingly difficult to convince them that I didn't need to drink and they should respect my choice without demanding a goddamn explanation.

(though I only had to threaten one of them)

You'd think it would be a simple principle. I don't question their choices when it comes to that sort of thing, they shouldn't question mine.

The word 'normal' is the main issue, I would argue. There's no normality in partaking or not for any of those things. Statistically likely, sure. But normal is nothing and the second you have 'normal' that starts making people 'not normal.'

I'm a bit hypersensitive to this sort of thing, as I've had actual friends treat me as abnormal for not wanting to drink. It was surprisingly difficult to convince them that I didn't need to drink and they should respect my choice without demanding a goddamn explanation.

(though I only had to threaten one of them)

You'd think it would be a simple principle. I don't question their choices when it comes to that sort of thing, they shouldn't question mine.

Oh I totally get that sensitivity. I'm teetotal now, after a time of drinking to various degrees. I got drunk once when I was 14 or so and hated it so stopped and people were just aghast. It eventually became about digging my heels in. 'HOW CAN YOU HAVE FUN IF YOU DON'T DRINK?'

The very next drink I took, some five years later, was at university, when somebody asked me if I would like a drink rather than saying I had to have one. Once I'd made it through one party sober without anyone being an asshole about it, I experimented a bit more and eventually became a pretty gold-standard drunk for eight years or so, with a couple of years of 'unfortunate cocaine habit' in there too.

Nowadays I'm teetotal again outside of maybe a double Scotch on a special occasion, and to this day I do still get shit about it.

TL;DR: I get completely where you were coming from. I was endeavouring to broaden the scope of what you were saying.

I suspect the "you must have a drink" thing is worse in older generations, too. There are people to whom the only response I can manage is to accept the drink (they've poured it while I'm saying "no, thank you"), but then not drink all, or any, of it.

Logged

"Being human, having your health; that's what's important."(from: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi )"As long as we're all living, and as long as we're all having fun, that should do it, right?"(from: The Eccentric Family )

I drink sometimes, just if I feel like it or not. My partner does not drink at all, he tried before I knew him and didn't like it and now never drinks. After eight years my friends and family still ask almost every time he's around does he want an alcoholic drink. At special occasions he'll still get the "Are you sure? Go on." for toasts and it might get poured before or during the refusal. He can get away with saying I'm drinking so he's driving, or sometimes I can say when I don't feel like drinking that it's so he doesn't feel weird being the only one not drinking. Still nonsense to feel like an excuse is needed.

Is this really something you need a partner's input on? If you're thinking about taking it up as a regular habit, sure, but a one-time celebration thing... I dunno. This strip bugs me and I can't quite put my finger on *why*.

Is this really something you need a partner's input on? If you're thinking about taking it up as a regular habit, sure, but a one-time celebration thing... I dunno. This strip bugs me and I can't quite put my finger on *why*.

I don't think it is something you need a partner's input on but I feel like it fits with Claire's personality that she would decide to tell Marten. And I think his response is kind of showing a little surprise that she bothered to tell him before she did it.

Personally I can't help thinking that "maybe right before your exams isn't the best time to try something that gave you a panic attack the only other time you had it" but it's not my life, so yeah. For Claire's sake I hope this time is better. And if not, maybe having Tai on the scene will be helpful...?

The word 'normal' is the main issue, I would argue. There's no normality in partaking or not for any of those things. Statistically likely, sure. But normal is nothing and the second you have 'normal' that starts making people 'not normal.'

I'm a bit hypersensitive to this sort of thing, as I've had actual friends treat me as abnormal for not wanting to drink. It was surprisingly difficult to convince them that I didn't need to drink and they should respect my choice without demanding a goddamn explanation.

(though I only had to threaten one of them)

You'd think it would be a simple principle. I don't question their choices when it comes to that sort of thing, they shouldn't question mine.

Ugh! Why do people get so annoying about it if you don't drink alcohol? I also had to call out friends to quit it with the peer pressure around drinking already. I don't know if they felt like me not drinking meant I was judging them for drinking or what... but having them not accept my "No thanks" as a valid response to whatever variation of "Do you want some alcohol?" they had asked me was super frustrating. It eased up a bit after I told them to quit it with the peer pressure but it still happened occasionally. I don't care if someone choose to drink or not - it's none of my business - so long as they don't try to persuade me to drink with them. I can enjoy this party perfectly well with my glass of water or OJ thanks - or at least I would be able to if you weren't hassling me!

These days I pretty much only hang out with people who don't care if I drink or not, and mostly in situations where alcohol isn't expected (eg. coffee shop/afternoon gathering/etc) so thankfully I haven't had to put up with it recently but I still remember how frustrating it was.

Is this really something you need a partner's input on? If you're thinking about taking it up as a regular habit, sure, but a one-time celebration thing... I dunno. This strip bugs me and I can't quite put my finger on *why*.

The way I see it, Claire simply informed Marten on what was going on, and he shouldn't be surprised if she came home unable to stop giggling and stuff.

Getting high with your mom? Questionably rebellious (but look at this comic's title ). Getting high with your mom and your boss? Oh, my!

Whilst Mrs A doesn't think that using her cannabis vaper is in any way 'doing something wild', it's pretty clear where Jeph is going to take this: Tai is going to dare an under-the-influence Claire to do something wild and there will be consequences.

Like what? Maybe get a pretty tattoo of a butterfly on her hip or something. Because, stoned or not, something tells me that Claire is always pretty straight and restrained.

Is this really something you need a partner's input on? If you're thinking about taking it up as a regular habit, sure, but a one-time celebration thing... I dunno. This strip bugs me and I can't quite put my finger on *why*.

Hm, I thought that it was kinda cool of Claire to check in with Martin first, just so he knows what up. I'd have done the same and, if my wife had a real objection to my partaking, I'd have respected that.

Ok, first let me get this out of the way, I voted "Other" and meant Raven.

Now then. On to Claire's decision to get stoned. I don't think it's a bad idea in and of itself... but if I were her, I think I'd have waited until AFTER the exam, in case there are any lingering aftereffects.

Yeah, but it does feel like Tai is inviting herself. It just feels a little much, even for Tai. Especially if she's never met Mother Augustus before. And now that I think of it, have Claire and Tai had any meaningful interaction outside of the group and outside of the library?

Logged

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart but I am street smart.", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I am imaginary smart."